1

DECISION MAKING

POWER AND POLITICS OVERVIEW

Power and politics are two face of a single coin. (very closely related although they
seem different)

Power and politics are among the most important concepts in the study of
organization behavior. Both power and politics are dynamic concepts and are a function of
the interaction between different elements in organizations.

POWER

WORDS ASSOCIATING POWER

 Authority - the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience.
 Influence - the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior
of someone or something, or the effect itself.
 Leadership - the action of leading a group of people or an organization.
 Strength - the capacity of an object or substance to withstand great force or
pressure.
 Command - dominate (a strategic position) from a superior height
 Superiority - the state of being superior

DEFINITION

 The ability to influence flows of the available energy and resources towards certain
goals as opposed to other goals.
 Power is assumed to be exercised only when these goals are at least partially in
conflict with each other.
 Defined as the need to manipulate or change others and have superiority over them.
 The probability that one actor within a social relationship will be in position to carry out
his own will despite resistance. – Max Weber

TYPES OF POWER

1. Coercive – the ability of a manager to force an employee to follow an order by

threatening the employee with punishment if the employee does not comply with the
order.
a. Ex: threats write-ups, demotions, cut-offs, termination
2. Legitimate – power you derive from your formal position or office held in the
organization’s hierarchy of authority.
 2

a. Ex: the president of a corporation has certain powers because of the office he
holds in the corporation.
3. Reward – simply the power of a manager to give some type of reward to an
employee as a means to influence the employee to act.
a. Ex: monetary gifts, salary increase, certificates, medals, gifts, praises
4. Referent –power of an individual over the TEAM or FOLLOWERS, based on a high
level of identification with admiration of or respect for the powerholder/leader.
a. Ex: nationalism, patriotism, celebrities, mass leaders, widely respected people
5. Expert – power based upon employee’s perception that a manager or some other
member of organization has a high level of knowledge or as specialized set of skills
that other employees or members of the organization do not possess.

 POSITIVE EFFECTS OF POWER:

a) Leadership responsibilities
b) Organizational and personal goals
c) Inspire commitment
d) Creativity
e) Reduction of bureaucratic obstacles
 NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF POWER
a) Bully bosses
b) Manipulator
c) Sexual Harassment
 3

POLITICS

WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH POLITICS

 Government - the governing body of a nation, state, or community.

 Leader - the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.
 Voting - cause (someone) to gain or lose a particular post or honor by means of a vote.

DEFINITION

 The origin of the word "politics" comes from Greek, and means "affairs of the city". It
has grown to encompass more than just city affairs, but civics, and state affairs.
 4

Furthermore, the development of the international affairs/politics field has given way
to even more classifications and study.
 Politics is the activities involved in running a governmental entity or state.
 Always concerned with power.
 The art or science of influencing people on a civic or individual level, when there are
more than two people involved.

FIVE MOST COMMON POLITICAL SYSTEM AROUND THE WORLD

1. Democracy – a government where the majority makes the decision by voting.
2. Republic - a government where people choose other people to make decision for
us.
3. Autocracy – a government where one person makes all the rules.
4. Communism – a government where people are all equal.
5. Oligarchy – a government where decisions are made by a group known as the
“elite” (intelligence/race/money)
6. Theocracy - a government where laws are made by God, but interpreted by a
religious group.
7. Fascism - a government where the nation comes before the individual. Most of the
power is focused on the government, and usually one leader. Strict laws and
punishments exist to keep.

EXAMPLES:

PHILIPPINES

The Government of the Philippines (Filipino: Pamahalaan ng Pilipinas) is the national

government of the Philippines. It is governed as unitary state under
a presidential representative and democratic and a constitutional republic where
the President function as both the head of state and the head of government of the country
within a pluriform multi-party system.

The government has three interdependent branches: the legislative branch, the executive
branch, and the judicial branch. The powers of the branches are vested by the Constitution
of the Philippines in the following: Legislative power is vested in the two-chamber Congress
of the Philippines—the Senate is the upper chamber and the House of Representatives is the
lower chamber.[1]
 5

Executive power is exercised by the government under the leadership of the

President. Judicial power is vested in the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines as
the highest judicial body

UNITED STATES

The United States is a federal republic in which the president, Congress and federal
courts share powers reserved to the national government, according to its Constitution. The
federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is
required to elect the President. Your state's entitled allotment of electors equals the number
of members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of
Representatives plus two for your Senators.

The executive branch is headed by the president and is formally independent of both the
legislature and the judiciary. The cabinet serves as a set of advisers to the president. They
include the vice president and heads of the executive departments. Legislative power is
vested in the two chambers of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The
judicial branch (or judiciary), composed of the Supreme Court and lower federal courts,
exercises judicial power. The judiciary's function is to interpret the United States
Constitution and federal laws and regulations. This includes resolving disputes between the
executive and legislative branches. The federal government's structure is codified in the
Constitution.

Two political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party,
have dominated American politics since the American Civil War, although smaller
parties exist such as the Libertarian Party, the Green Party and the Constitution Party.
Generally, the Democratic Party is also known as the center-left liberal party within the
United States, while the Republican Party is also known as a center-rightconservative party.

There are a few major differences between the political system of the United States and that
of most other developed democracies. These include greater power in the upper house of
the legislature, a wider scope of power held by the Supreme Court, the separation of powers
between the legislature and the executive and the dominance of only two main parties. Third
parties have less political influence in the United States than in other democratically run
developed countries; this is because of a combination of stringent historic controls. These
controls take shape in the form of state and federal laws, informal media
prohibitions and winner-take-allelections and include ballot access issues and exclusive
 6

debate rules. There have been five United States presidential elections in which the winner
lost the popular vote.

KOREA

The politics of the Republic of Korea takes place in the framework of

a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the head of state,
and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative
power is vested in both the government and the National Assembly. The Judiciary is
independent of the executive and the legislature and comprises a Supreme Court, appellate
courts and a Constitutional Court. Since 1948, the constitution has undergone five major
revisions, each signifying a new republic. The current Sixth Republic began with the last
major constitutional revision in 1987.

The Economist Intelligence Unit has rated South Korea as the 20th most democratic country
in 2017, the highest ranked Asian country and above Belgium, France or the United States.[1]

Under Lee Myung-bak's presidency, the South Korean intelligence services (NIS)
orchestrated campaigns to manipulate public opinion. NIS-led "NGOs" have conducted
media campaigns against opponents of the government; denounced the "buses of hope"
(which emerged to support a trade union movement in 2011), criticised proposals for free
school meals and free medical care and called for the disbandment of the Democratic Labour
Party. In 2012, the NIS conducted a slander campaign against the presidential
candidate Moon Jae-in in order to divert voters to the conservative candidate Park Geun-hye.
In February 2015, the former head of the NIS was sentenced to three years in prison for his
role in these manipulations.

A first-past-the-post (FPTP; sometimes FPP) electoral system is one in

which voters indicate on a ballot the candidate of their choice, and the candidate who
receives the most votes wins. This is sometimes described as winner takes all.

SAUDI ARABIA

The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of a totalitarian[1][2][3] absolute
monarchy with Islamist lines, where the King is both the head of state and government.
Decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among the senior princes
of the royal family and the religious establishment. The Qur'an is declared to be the
constitution of the country, which is governed on the basis of Islamic law (Shari'a).
The Allegiance Council is responsible to determine the new King and the new Crown Prince.
All citizens of full age have a right to attend, meet, and petition the king directly through the
traditional tribal meeting known as the majlis.[4]
 7

Government is dominated by the vast royal family, the Al Saud, which has often been divided
by internal disputes and into factions. The members of the family are the principal political
actors allowed by the government. Political participation outside the royal family is limited.
Saudi Arabia is one of only two countries (the other being Vatican City) that does not have a
separate legislative body

CHINA

The People’s Republic of China has been ruled by the Communist Party since 1949 when
it won the Chinese Civil War by overthrowing the Nationalist government. Under the
Constitution, the Communist party has the complete political authority and governs
according to democratic centralism. This governmental system allows for open discussion
about policy decisions, but all members of the government are required to uphold collective
decisions once a vote is made. Several smaller political parties comprise the United Front,
although, they do not hold power or independence from the Communist party.
The Politburo Standing Committee controls the Communist party and the military; it has
between 4 and 9 members. The majority of governmental power, however, is concentrated
in one position, the Paramount Leader. This leader holds several other titles as well: the
General Secretary of the Communist Party, General Secretary of the Central Committee,
Chairman of the Central Military Commission, and President of the country. The
government is further divided into 4 branches: the legislative, the executive, the judicial, and
the military.
Legislative Branch Of The Government of China

The legislative branch of the government of China consists of the highest department of the
Communist party, the National People’s Congress. This body plays a role in debating policy
proposals and mediating discussions among its 2,987 members. Representatives are
elected for 5-year terms and meet once a year. Amendments to the constitution are
considered after proposed by at least 20% of its members and are approved by a two-thirds
vote. The Congress also writes and amends laws concerning civil affairs, state issues, and
criminal acts. Additionally, it is responsible for electing the members of the Standing
Committee, the President and Vice President of the country, and the Premier of the State
Council. Additionally, the Congress reviews and approves the National Economic and
Social Development Plan and oversees its proper administration.
Executive Branch Of The Government of China

The executive branch is made up of the State Council, the Premier, and the President. The
President serves as a ceremonial head of state for a 5-year term and has little power within
 8

the government. The Premier acts as a Prime Minister and is head of the 50-member
Council, each member the head of a ministry or government agency. These members
manage the provincial governments and meet once every 6 months. The State Council
must answer to the National People’s Congress and ensure that its legislative decisions are
carried out.
Judicial Branch Of The Government of China

The Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuratorate are part of the
judicial branch of the Chinese government. The Supreme Court is the highest in the land,
and the National People’s Congress appoints its 340 judges. These judges oversee the
following courts: economic, criminal, civil, administrative, and special courts. The Chief
Grand Justice also serves as the President over the Supreme Court. The Supreme
People’s Procuratorate carries out investigation and prosecution of crimes. It is managed by
the Office of the Procurator-General.
Military Branch Of The Government of China

The Central Military Commission consists of 11 members and is responsible for controlling
the People’s Liberation Army, the People’s Liberation Army militia, and the People’s Armed
Police. It does this by creating military policy and ensuring that it is carried out by the lower
offices. Additionally, this Commission makes decisions about deployment of its armed
forces and budget spending. The head of this Commission is the Chairman, who acts as
the Commander-in-Chief of the military. The National People’s Congress elects the
Chairman of the country.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN POWER AND POLITICS

Power is essential to politics. They are partners. They go hand in hand.

Politics is the art of government. It is the art of managing resources for the benefit of the
governed.

Power is the force necessary to manage resources and accomplish political ends.

Organizations are made up of both human and material resources. It is the human resources of an
organization that transform or convert the material resources of the organization into finished or
consumable products. In trying to transform/convert the material resources of the organization, choices
have to be made. Choices as to the type or kind of product to be produced, different materials to be used
in order to have the desired product, the type of machinery to be adopted for production efficiency, the
financial resources to be involved and its sources, etc. In any of these decisions, choices have to be made.
These decisions or choices involve some kind of politics while the person making the choices or decisions
 9

uses some power to ensure that his/her choices or decisions are accepted. Thus, the influence of power
and politics in organizations presents a political analysis of intraorganizational relations in which power
play and politics is normal. In any organization, we look up to people/human resources for support. This
accounts for the inevitability of organizational politics and power play. An understanding of organizational
politics requires an analysis of power, coalitions, and bargaining. The power relationship is the contest for
political action and encompasses the most basic issues underlying organizational politics. Infact, survival
in an organization is a political act.